Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Here are a few photos of Christmas Day beauty and cheer:
Merry Christmas everyone, have a peaceful and love-filled week!
Merry Christmas!
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Tag Archives: Christmas
It’s that time of year (or buried in Frangos)
Every year, for as long as I can remember during my married life, I’ve helped my husband with Holiday cards and small gifts of appreciation for his clients. I add that to my personal cards and friends and family gifts.
I enjoyed when my daughter was in high school and helped me with this project because two hands are better than one!
I’ll never forget one year in the Palm Springs post office, when the postal worker asked me to re-label my stack of Frango Mints to save money on mailing. My daughter and I wrote new labels as fast as we could, and the postal worker was ringing them up and punching into her computer. We actually had teamwork going and it didn’t slow down the process at all for those waiting behind us. It looked like it did — because of us filling out new labels — but in reality it took no more time. The postal worker was moving as fast as she could and she hadn’t caught up to our new labeling.
But the comments and cursing I heard that day! My daughter had my back and defended us loudly to those behind us. I was afraid one impatient person was going to come to blows with us. Or my daughter would get into a fight defending me.
I’ve made friends with our postal workers in Carefree (like I did for 30 years in Palm Springs) and gave them their own box of Frangos. This will be my second year of overwhelming the small Carefree post office with packages. They’ve told me to never come in on Mondays and what hours are best. I’ve also learned to come in on multiple days with no more than ten to a dozen boxes. It may take a few more trips, but I understand how people in line get annoyed at having to wait.
I’ve never had a bad experience with a postal worker. Just the people waiting behind me.
I used to order gifts online with addresses and let the company do the labeling and mailing. I sent a delicious strudel from a Seattle bakery. But then my husband would get calls that the packaging came with the wrong names, etc. It’s easier to do it myself and get it right. Also, people all love Frangos, so I’ve given up on trying something new.
Thankfully, the gift giving in our family has gotten smaller. It’s been getting together that’s most important.
So what are Frangos?
My sweet memory of Frangos goes back to shopping with Mom in downtown Seattle. We’d go to the old-fashioned department store Frederick and Nelson, which had one floor dedicated to fabrics and notions, one for housewares, one for toys and children’s clothing, etc. At the end of our trip we’d have lunch at the counter and finish the day off with one Frango mint each.
What gift giving traditions do you continue during the holidays?
How often do you see impatient people at the Post Office in December? Would you groan standing behind me in line?
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It’s a nice place to visit…
This gorgeous blue-eyed Siamese-mix was on leash in my old park.
We’re back home in Arizona for a bit. Christmas in my old life and Movie Colony of Palm Springs neighborhood was not as stressful as I worried about in advance. We spent two nights at my 90-year-old dad’s house and then met part of the extended family at a VRBO the kids selected — five blocks from our family home of 28 plus years.
I had mixed emotions about the entire trip. Then I saw my favorite checker from Ralphs’ grocery store my first night there. I saw a fellow swim parent in the parking lot. It made me cry and smile.
We (me, my daughter and son’s fiancee) got pedicures at the place we used to go to. We got hugs and a huge welcome. They wondered where we’ve been for two years — while they were closed for COVID and we moved. Thank goodness they are still in business!
As for getting all the food we missed from our favorite restaurants? That was one of my goals. We cooked most meals with people taking turns. Every meal was delicious. I never ate out.
My daughter went to one of our old favorites with a friend and said it was an insult to Italian food.
We took turns with cooking and cleaning. I think this was a very good family time! Loved every second. Although they didn’t want me to replay “Funky Town” too many times…Or dance~!
How was your Christmas and holidays? What are our plans for the New Year?
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A walk in the park
I feel like this park is mine.
I think one of my favorite things about being “back home” is my park. I would take the kids play here when they were young. I met other moms at the park and we’d sit and talk while keeping an eye on the kids on swings, slides, climbing tower and their favorite — a stagecoach. They climb into and on top of the stage coach, acting out adventures.
Then as they got older and left us for college, it was part of my morning routine. A walk around the park. I recognized many of the same people with their dogs daily and we became park friends. Especially when I was taking care of my daughter’s pug Waffles.
There was a 4 p.m. little dog group who met daily to let the little ones play.
A row of palm trees by the tennis courts.
When I homeschooled my daughter for middle school, we’d often start the day on the tennis courts. Hitting and running after balls.
On this Christmas vacation, I’m walking around the park several times a day. I can’t wait in the morning to get out. I keep hoping to see some of my former park friends. On Christmas day I thought to myself, “today I’m going to see somebody I know.” Sure enough my daughter and husband cruised by me on their rented bicycles!
Palm trees in the Wellness Park a few blocks from my old home and the VRBO we’re in.
Where is your favorite place to walk?
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Merry Christmas from the Christmas Crew
This afternoon we check into our Palm Springs VRBO to celebrate Christmas with our two kids and our son’s girlfriend’s family. Also, my dad who is turning 91 in a few weeks lives close by. We’re going to be a smaller group this year due to two sisters in Europe and the mother not well enough to make the trip from the Bay Area. One daughter is staying home with her. All in all, with those not coming, we’re down five people. So our party of 12 is now seven.
Merry Christmas!
Who are you spending Christmas or Hanukkah with this year?
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And now for something truly embarrassing
This year for Christmas and Hanukkah, I packaged and mailed cards and Frango mints to my husband’s clients.
There’s a whole story about Frangos which are from the now defunct Frederick & Nelson’s department store in Seattle. They were first sold in the early 1900s, then bought out by Marshall Fields, Bon Marche and now Macy’s. When I was a young girl, my mom would take me downtown Seattle to Christmas shop and have lunch at F&N’s. The end of the festive trip would be one melt- in-your-mouth Frango mint.
I have sent Frangos to my husband’s clients for years. My project beings with getting padded flat rate Priority Mail envelopes and labels from the post office. My local post office didn’t have any and suggested that I order them online.
One day, I ran out of envelopes and since I had a miserable cold, my husband drove to another post office further away to find more envelopes. He said it was like pulling teeth to get envelopes. One employee told him that they only have envelopes if people come in with them and return them unused.
Fast forward a week, my husband is getting calls from his clients thanking him for the delicious chocolates.
Then one woman calls and said she was confused about this year’s gift.
“Why?” he asked.
“Well, there’s a beautiful card, a delicious box of chocolates — and one dirty gray sock!”
She emailed him a photo of the three items together. And yes, the sock was really dirty!
The client said “I know you must use a service to mail these. You may want to speak with your service.”
The only thing we could figure out is the sock came in an envelope from the post office that my husband went to. I would stack the envelopes and place the card and Frangos inside and then tear off the plastic strip, fold and seal. I never once thought to look inside “empty” envelopes.
If I’m not fired from Frango duty next year, I WILL look inside each envelope.
How would you have responded to the woman who received the dirty sock?
This is what a Frango box looked like when I was a child and Marshall Field bought Frederick & Nelson.
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Conflicted about Christmas
In a couple days, we’ll be leaving to have Christmas with my kids, dad and our son’s girlfriend’s family. Our kids suggested Palm Springs, where we moved from exactly two years ago this week. Last year we gathered in Santa Barbara, which was a fun — if not rainy and cold adventure.
I’m conflicted over Palm Springs. After leaving, I don’t have a strong desire to return. I don’t know if it’s an emotional response. If it brings up too many memories. If I miss it, or if I don’t miss it. It makes me feel things I don’t want to feel.
For the kids, who never wanted us to move from Palm Springs, my husband agreed to rent an Airbnb a few blocks from our old home. It’s all for them, not us.
What I’m looking foward to:
Seeing our big extended family.
Walking around my old park.
Swimming in my former city pool.
Going to my old favorite restaurants for a taste of Mexican food and Italian. We haven’t found any good spots here.
Do you think it’s true that you can never go home again? Why or why not?
